Tom Irwin is the resident librarian here at PGF and new to the gambling harm sector. Recently he was sent out into the big wide world to support our public health staff at the South Waikato District Council's class 4 gambling policy review. This was a new experience for Tom, so he has shared with us what it’s like to attend a local government hearing.

I didn’t know what to expect entering the council building in Tokoroa in late June for the public hearing of the South Waikato District Council’s (SWDC) class 4 gambling policy review. My first foray into the field and new to the sector, I never knew local government hearings were open to the public and that anyone can make a submission – or how raw and compelling a face-to-face petition directly to council could be.

Class 4 gambling refers to electronic gaming machines (or ‘pokies’) housed in venues outside casinos. This means in clubs, where profits go to the club, or pubs, where they are run by gaming machine trusts and societies registered under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957 and established to provide funding for community initiatives.

SWDC were proposing a sinking lid, an approach with much merit which asserts the Council’s commitment to reducing gambling harm. Its policy states:

Council wishes to reduce the number of Class 4 venues and gambling machines numbers via a continuous sinking lid policy. The reduction in venues and machines will take place by a process of natural attrition as venues cease operating.

The first session was devoted to submissions by the public and one really stayed with me, from a constituent who had seen both sides of the pokie debate. They told a personal account of supporting grants from trusts through various community roles until someone close to them developed a problem with pokies. Taking the initiative and wanting to understand the situation, this person, previously untouched by gambling harm, researched and investigated the pokie scene—and was shocked by what they found.

To paraphrase, they had seen what the public see: worthwhile projects for sporting or social initiatives which, understandably, they had not questioned. Who would? The reality they reported was one where considerations of customer care were negligible or easily circumvented; the funding model based on a system of inequality that was addictive, tragic and predatory.

Later, representatives of organisations including the Waikato District Health Board and PGF outlined the effect of the concentration of pokies in South Waikato (fourth highest per capita of 67 NZ territories), its relationship to an area of high deprivation in social and business terms and what council could do to support and safeguard its community now and into the future.

The submissions tallied ten for the proposed policy and 98 lobbying for a true sinking lid. The “true” relates to council’s powers to prohibit relocations and mergers, an approach PGF endorses to see the decline of pokies accelerate. Or even move. According to the Department of Internal Affairs there are currently eight venues with 133 pokies in Tokoroa, and four venues with 45 pokies in Putaruru/Tirau – exactly the same number of venues and pokies in South Waikato as there was in March 2013.

It’s since been announced that SWDC voted to retain its proposed policy of a sinking lid which allows for mergers and relocations in some instances. I would ask, if you have exactly the same number of pokies five years on then the lid isn’t really sinking, is it? And if submissions, by weight of numbers or first-hand experience, cannot sway a body elected to represent their community, then what’s really at stake?

The Problem Gambling Library collects resources on all aspects of gambling and problem gambling. The Problem Gambling Library is open to all PGFNZ staff as well as those working and studying in the fields of problem gambling, addictions, and counselling. Members of the public are also free to join (some limitations may apply).

Andree Froude, Communications Director at the Problem Gambling Foundation, says over 60 venues are signed up to take part which is an outstanding result.

“The awareness week starts with 15 of the 17 venues in Invercargill pausing their pokies in the morning which is amazing,” she says.

“We are thrilled that so many venues and pokie trusts are supporting our campaign and agreeing to turn off their pokies for an hour in recognition of gambling harm in Aotearoa.”

Andree Froude says the national theme for Gambling Harm Awareness Week is ‘take time out from gambling, put time into whanau’ so gamblers will be encouraged to take a break from their gambling and connect with whanau.

“We are hoping that pausing the pokies will also allow gamblers to think about their gambling and it may lead to people seeking help from a local service if they are experiencing harm or know someone that is,” she says.

“Pokies are the most harmful form of gambling and are more likely to be found in the more deprived communities in New Zealand. There are five times as many pokies in the most deprived areas so gambling continues to impact heavily on the more vulnerable communities, and in particular Maori and Pacific peoples.”

Problem gambling in New Zealand is a significant social issue. The latest National Gambling Study (NGS) report, confirms that although gambling participation continues to fall, levels of gambling-related harm remain unchanged. ​For a list of venues around the country taking part in Pause the Pokies and the times they are ‘pausing’, visit the PGF website.

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The Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF) is pleased to announce a brand new service which will allow people in need of help to speak directly to a counsellor when they call the 0800 number.

The new duty counsellor service will be launched this August and will mean that a trained and professional counsellor will answer the phone Monday to Fridays from 8.30am to 5.00pm and can speak directly to anyone concerned about their own or someone else’s gambling.

Bridgitte Thornley, National Director of Counselling Services and Public Health Support, says that this is a game changer for people seeking help because they will no longer have to leave a message with an administrator or a voicemail and wait for someone to call them back.

“We often find that when people call us they are in a state of crisis and need to speak to a counsellor right away. If we can be there to help them when they really need it, hopefully we can get them on the road to recovery sooner,” she says.

The duty counsellors will also be monitoring an email address for people who prefer to seek help online.

“People who email us for help will receive the same support that they would get over the phone. We want to create as many ways for people to get help as possible, so if a person is more comfortable sending an email we are here to support them,” Bridgitte Thornley says.

PGF offers free, professional and confidential gambling counselling services for both gamblers and others affected by gambling.

People can contact PGF on 0800 664 262 to speak to a counsellor from Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm. Alternatively people can email dutycounsellors@pgf.nz.

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Once a month Andrew Brown, PGF Counsellor and Health Promoter in the Wellington region, presents a show on Coast Access Radio 104.7FM called ‘Let’s talk about gambling.’​Graeme Joyes is the station manager at Coast Access Radio and as part of his participation in the show and out of personal interest he conducted some interesting research on the risks of online gambling. His findings were fascinating, so we asked Graeme to share with us what he discovered when he entered the world of online gambling.

What was the purpose of the research?​This survey was conducted to ascertain the risks of online gambling under two broad categories. Firstly, the risk to the player and secondly, the risk to their technology. This survey was conducted from my office computer at Coast Access Radio with the knowledge and approval of the Coast Access Radio Trust. Initially I surveyed several dozen sites but realised that was far too big for the time allocated, so I focused on ten sites only, all with .nz addresses. I conducted this from a computer protected by a dual firewall and Bitdefender Anti-virus. This was a fairly superficial survey, of only ten sites, looking at only five parameters.

How did you conduct the research?​I visited ten sites, all who appeared in a Google search with addresses that said they were NZ sites. Their description both declared them to be NZ sites and the URL address identified them as .nz sites. I used three different Google searches, ‘Gambling for Cash,’ ‘Poker,’ and ‘Poker for Cash.’

What did you discover about the risks to people's technology?​From a technological perspective I discovered three interesting points worth mentioning.

The first was safety. Six of the sites were considered ‘safe’, two sites registered ‘unsafe’, and one site immediately downloaded a virus onto my computer. One of the sites caused an immediate alert, and Bitdefender locked me out of the site, declaring it to be dangerous.

Secondly, the websites web tracking and their ability to keep tabs on my activity and how I used their website. All of the sites downloaded trackers, some of which are innocent and acceptable, e.g. Facebook and Google Analytics. One of the websites downloaded a tracker which caused Bitdefender to warn me it was copying and sending my Facebook contacts list.

And finally the location of the websites that claimed to be .nz sites. While all the sites had an initial URL address of being a gaming site or casino in NZ, analysis of their sites by a host inquiry programme revealed they were all hosted overseas, the NZ site address was only a mirror. The locations were: Canada, New Jersey USA, Isle of Man, and Moldova. Pinging these sites showed me they had mirror sites all around the world, many in jurisdictions of concern.​In conclusion, none of these sites were what they claimed to be, as none of them were actually New Zealand based. They ranged from sites that were safe to visit, to one so dangerous my antivirus locked it out. All loaded tracking software, one planted a virus, and one stole my Facebook data.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Did any of the websites provide information on how to get help if you are worried about your gambling? Only one site had easily found and readable help on gambling safety and problem gambling. It had good quality, easy to read information, with links to the Gambling Helpline, the Problem Gambling Foundation and the Department of Internal Affairs.

On the other nine websites the information for getting help was obscure and difficult to find, or simply non-existent.

What about the ease with which you can place bets online?

I found putting money in was really easy. They all offered Visa, MasterCard or PayPal options.

But I found that getting my money back was more difficult. Information on ‘how to get your money back’ wasn’t as easily available and when analysed the terms and conditions summed it up in two statements; 1: Reserves the right to delay payment and 2: Reasonable processing charges. More research is required on this aspect.

In conclusion, only one site had easily obtained information on how to get help if you’re worried about your gambling, and all the websites had easy payment methods, however; none of the websites had easy refund methods and there was significant fine print.

Recently, online gambling has received some attention in the media because overseas online gambling websites have found a way to advertise on New Zealand television. Advertising online gambling in New Zealand is strictly regulated under the Gambling Act 2003, but these overseas online gambling sites have found a loophole, meaning websites like Jackpot City and Spin Palace have found their way onto New Zealand television. Interested in reading more? Click here.